Lord Rooker: The table below outlines in full our intended timetable for the introduction of secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
	
		
			 Issue Proposed timetable 
			 Mutilations Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force) 
			 Tail Docking Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force) 
			 Racing Greyhounds Regulations by 2008 
			 Pet Fairs Regulations by 2008 
			 Primates as Pets Code of practice by 2008 
			 Wild Animals in Circuses Regulations by 2008 
			 Cat Code Code of practice by 2008 
			 Dog Code Code of practice by 2008 
			 Pet Shops Regulations and possible code of practice by 2008 
			 Game Birds Draft code of practice by end 2008 coming into force 2009 
			 Animal (dog & cat) Boarding No commitment* 
			 Tethering of horses No commitment* 
			 Riding Schools No commitment* 
			 Livery Yards No commitment* 
			 Animal Sanctuaries No commitment* 
			 Performing Animals No commitment* 
			 *These regulations and codes will be introduced as soon as possible in line with available resources. Bringing any other issues forward may have a detrimental effect where commitments have already been given.

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by theLord McKenzie of Luton on 19 December 2006 (WA 273), what savings to the Exchequer would result if the winter fuel payment to pensioners were made fully taxable; and what could be the increase in winter fuel payment for all pensioners from that saving.

Lord Adonis: Improving outcomes for children in care is already a key priority for the Government. The children and young people's review discussion paper, published on 9 January 2007, examined new evidence on how we can improve outcomes for all children by: fulfilling their potential through better prevention and early intervention; helping young people reach their full potential; achieving better outcomes for disabled children; and supporting families caught in a cycle of low achievement. It did not focus specifically on children in care because the Government have published two key documents on these issues in recent months.
	New proposals on children in care were set out in the Care Matters Green Paper, which was launched for consultation in October. It focuses on early intervention, strengthening the corporate parenting role, high quality placements and education. In addition, the reportof the Options for Excellence Review published in October 2006 provides a framework for future developments for the social care workforce. This focuses on five key areas: continuing professional development, recruitment and retention, new ways of working, strengthening leadership and management and improved commissioning. Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Available data for England, Wales and Scotland relate to currently recorded offences of homicide (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) where the relationship of the victim to the principal suspect includes current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover, and were published in Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime 2004/2005 (HOSB 02/06) and Homicide in Scotland, 2005/06. Figures for Northern Ireland relate to the recorded crime data collection, where offences of murder have been classified as domestic-related.
	
		
			 Homicides currently recorded for all victims, where relationship of victim to principal suspect was "partner/ex-partner": 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			 Numbers Recorded crime 
			  2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 England and Wales 1 135 118 139 - 
			 Northern Ireland 2 7 4 7 6 
			 Scotland 3 13 5 14 16 
			 1 As at 28 November 2005; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. Source: table 2.05 of HOSB 2002-06. Revised data up to and including 2005-06 are scheduled to be published on 25 January 2007. 
			 2 Offences of murder that have been classified as domestic-related. Manslaughter (and infanticide) are not included in these statistics. Source: table 2.4 of Domestic Incidents and Crimes (Statistical Report No. 2). 
			 3 As at 8 November 2006; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. Source: table 5 of Homicide in Scotland, 2005/06 (Bulletin 537).

Lord Bassam of Brighton: From data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform court proceedings database, of the 787 defendants found guilty of rape at the Crown Court in 2005, 361, or 46 per cent, pleaded guilty and 426, or 54 per cent, were found guilty by a jury decision. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Office and that for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The number of cyclists prosecuted at magistrates' court, for offences relating to cyclists riding on pavements in the Metropolitan Police force area, 1996 to 2005 can be found in the attached table. Information on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists riding on footpaths is not held within RDS OUR (research and development statistics, Office for Criminal Justice Reform). Data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Office and that for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		
			 The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences relating to pedal cycles—riding on footpath in the Metropolitan Police force area, 1996-05 1 2 
			 Statute Offence Description Proceeded against (Year) 
			   1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 Highway Act, 1835 Sec 72. Metropolitan Police Act 1839 Section 54(7) & Byelaws Offences under the Metropolitan Police Acts Pedal cycles—riding on footpath 40 19 54 40 10 11 8 10 17 29 
			 1 These data are on the principal offence basis. 
			 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. 
		
	
	However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Lord Triesman: Cyprus Government check points already exist at all crossing points on the green line. The Republic of Cyprus has EU rights and obligations in this matter, reflected in a regulation adopted at the time of accession, as well as national law. However, we recognise that the green line regulation is still very limited in scope and that there are a number of obstacles which hinder trade across the green line. We continue to encourage both sides to lift all restrictions to allow for unhindered exchanges of goods, which we believe is in the interests of all Cypriots and all EU member states, and would promote reunification of the island.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have had discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service in the light of the representations from Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur on the policing of demonstrations. We keep public order legislation under review and would always consider representations from the police service on changes. We would also consult the police service as a whole on any proposed changes to legislation.
	It is already a criminal offence for a person to display or deface a national flag if such activity is likely to pose a real risk to public order or the activity constitutes incitement to racial or religious hatred. For example, under Sections 4A and 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, a person may be guilty of an offence if they display any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.
	In determining whether a person has committed such offences the court is required to respect a person's right to freedom of expression, while balancing that freedom with the need to maintain public order and protect the rights of people who may be offended by the activity.
	In addition to the offences under Sections 4A and 5, the Public Order Act 1986 gives the police the power to impose conditions on, or to prohibit, processions and to impose conditions on assemblies. The types of conditions that may be imposed on an assembly are limited to those relating to its place, the numbers taking part and its duration. There are no restrictions on the type of conditions that may be placed on processions.
	There are already powers in place to allow the police to require the removal of face coverings. Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public OrderAct 1994 was inserted by the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. It enables a police officer of inspector rank or above to authorise police officers within a given area for a period of up to 24 hours to require the removal of face coverings worn for the purpose of concealing identity and to seize any such items. Before authorising an area, an inspector must reasonably believe that activities likely to involve the commission of offences will take place in that area and that it is expedient, in order to prevent or control the activities, to give an authorisation.

Lord Rooker: Biodiversity conservation within the European Community, including wetlands, has been promoted and supported in a number of ways. This has occurred most notably via the EC habitats and birds directives and by funding from the nature conservation strand of the LIFE III Regulation (LIFE Nature).
	The "Maghreb" wetlands project is aimed at supporting wetland management and capacity building in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It was65 per cent co-funded through a different strand of the LIFE Programme (LIFE Third Countries). This strand supported the building of environmental capacity in countries bordering the territory of the EU; that is, European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries.
	Future support for ENP countries will be provided through a dedicated European neighbourhood and partnership instrument (ENPI). Between 2007 and 2013, ENPI funding will approach €12 billion, including access to thematic programmes (€465 million from the development co-operation instrument), one of which focuses directly on environment issues. The European Commission is expected to present a strategy setting out priorities for the funding of environment-related issues once its content has been agreed.
	LIFE Nature will become part of the new LIFE+ regulation. This has not yet been implemented andis currently subject to a conciliation procedure between the European Council and European Parliament.

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What legislation covers the definition of the form, shape and design, and any rules about the permitted use, of (a) the union flag; (b) the English flag (cross of St George); (c) the Scottish flag(St Andrew's saltire) (d) the Scottish royal lion flag (e) the Welsh flag (dragon); (f) the flag of Northern Ireland.

Lord Davies of Oldham: (a & b) There is no legislation that governs the form, shape or size of the union flag or the English flag (St George's cross). There are no rules about the permitted use of the union flag or English flag (cross of St George) on non-government buildings, provided the flag is flown on a single vertical flagstaff and neither the flag nor the flagstaff display any advertisement additional to the design of the flag as explained under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992. Government departments are restricted to flying flags on 18 fixed days a year in compliance with rules issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Consideration should also be given to flag protocol, which considers it improper to fly the union flag upside down and requires that the flag should not be defaced by text or symbols and should be treated with respect.
	(c & d) There is also no legislation that governs the form, shape or size of the Royal Arms of Scotland (here referred to as The Scottish royal lion flag) or the St Andrew's cross, but the design is firmly specified in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. The Royal Arms of Scotland can only be used by the Sovereign or Her Great Lieutenants when acting in their official capacity. The Scottish flag(St Andrew's cross) may be flown by Scots and to represent Scotland on all occasions; however, under The Act of Lyon King of Arms Act 1672, cap. 47 individuals may not deface the flag by placing a symbol on top of the flag or use it in such a way that suggests it is his/her personal property.
	(e) There is no specific legislation about the Welsh flag design or rules about permitted use.
	(f) The union flag is the only official flag that represents Northern Ireland. The Flags (NI) Order 2000 empowered the Secretary of State to make the Flags Regulations (NI) 2000, which governs when and where the union flag can be flown from government buildings in Northern Ireland on specified days. The legislation does not define the form, shape or design of the union flag. Flag flying from non-governmental buildings is unregulated.
	For all flags, consideration should also be given to flag protocol, which requires flags to be treated with respect, not to be defaced by text or symbols or flown upside down.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Work previously undertaken by the prescription pricing division of the National Health Service Business Service Authority has shown that quantities prescribed already match that of an available pack size in the majority of cases. For example, sample statistics show that drugs available in a pack size of 28 are prescribed in multiples of28 nearly 78 per cent of the time. Further, it is unlikely that standard packs sizes would always represent the best or most clinically appropriate quantity for every patient. We are therefore not convinced that further encouragement for prescribers to prescribe in line with patient pack sizes will significantly increase the dispensing of patient packs.
	However, we are fully supportive of increasing the use of patient packs and new services provided as part of the new community pharmacy contractual framework—such as repeat dispensing and medicines use review—are giving community pharmacists and general practitioners new opportunities to work together. These two services may give rise to the opportunity to consider the optimum quantities in which medicines should be prescribed for an individual patient, taking into account, amongst other things, the ability to dispense using a patient pack.
	Further, at the end of 2005, we consulted on proposals to simplify the reimbursement arrangements for NHS dispensing contractors. These included measures designed to further promote patient pack dispensing, such as allowing pharmacists a limited dispensing discretion with regard to the quantity prescribed to be able to dispense a full patient pack on more occasions. We are currently considering how we take this forward in light of responses.

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many non-British children have been taken into care by children's social services, on or soon after arrival in the United Kingdom, in each of the past three years; whether they can specifywhich local authorities were involved and distinguish between accompanied and unaccompanied children.

Lord Adonis: The table below shows the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who started to be looked after during each of the years ending 31 March 2004 to 2006. Other non-British children who are taken into care are not separately identifiable in nationally collected data.
	
		
			 Unaccompanied asylum seeking children who started to be looked after during years ending 31 March 2004, 2005 and 2006 1, 2 
			  numbers 
			  2004 2005 2006 
			 England 1,600 1,800 2,100 
			 North-east 10 20 10 
			 Shire counties
			 Durham 0 0 - 
			 Northumberland 0 0 0 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Darlington 0 0 0 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 0 
			 Redcar & Cleveland 0 0 0 
			 Stockton on Tees - - - 
			 Metropolitan Districts
			 Gateshead 0 0 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne - 15 0 
			 North Tyneside - - - 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 - 
			 Sunderland 0 0 0 
			 North-west 50 70 150 
			 Shire counties
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Blackburn & Darwen 0 0 0 
			 Blackpool 0 0 - 
			 Halton 0 0 0 
			 Warrington 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Districts
			 Bolton - 5 - 
			 Bury - - 15 
			 Knowsley 0 0 0 
			 Liverpool - 10 25 
			 Manchester 40 40 90 
			 Oldham - 0 0 
			 Rochdale - - 0 
			 Salford - - - 
			 Sefton 0 0 0 
			 St Helens 0 0 0 
			 Stockport - 0 - 
			 Tameside - 0 - 
			 Trafford 0 0 0 
			 Wigan - - - 
			 Wirral 0 0 - 
			 Yorkshire & The Humber 40 70 40 
			 Shire counties
			 North Yorkshire - 0 - 
			 Unitary authorities
			 East Riding Yorkshire - - - 
			 Kingston upon Hull 0 - 0 
			 North-east Lincolnshire - - 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 - - 
			 York 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Districts
			 Barnsley 0 - 0 
			 Bradford 0 - 0 
			 Calderdale - - 0 
			 Doncaster - 0 0 
			 Kirklees - 0 0 
			 Leeds - 15  
			 Rotherham - - - 
			 Sheffield 20 30 20 
			 Wakefield 0 - - 
			 East Midlands 30 20 30 
			 Shire Counties
			 Derbyshire 0 - - 
			 Leicestershire - - 15 
			 Lincolnshire 0 - - 
			 Northamptonshire 5 - - 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Derby 5 - - 
			 Leicester 10 - - 
			 Nottingham 0 - - 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 50 90 160 
			 Shire counties
			 Shropshire - - - 
			 Staffordshire - 10 15 
			 Warwickshire - 10 10 
			 Worcestershire 0 - - 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Herefordshire 0 0 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 0 
			 Telford & Wrekin 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Districts
			 Birmingham 10 40 90 
			 Coventry - - - 
			 Dudley 0 0 0 
			 Sandwell 0 - - 
			 Solihull 30 30 35 
			 Walsall 0 - - 
			 Wolverhampton - 0 0 
			 East of England 70 90 140 
			 Shire counties
			 Bedfordshire - - - 
			 Cambridgeshire - 25 90 
			 Essex 5 15 5 
			 Hertfordshire - - 5 
			 Norfolk 10 10 20 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 
			 Unitary Authorities
			 Luton 10 10 - 
			 Peterborough 5 25 - 
			 Southend 0 0 0 
			 Thurrock 25 - - 
			 London 1,000 1,000 1,100 
			 Inner London 390 320 340 
			 Camden 15 20 5 
			 City of London 10 20 10 
			 Greenwich 30 15 40 
			 Hackney 10 10 0 
			 Hammersmith & Fulham 55 50 30 
			 Islington 30 30 20 
			 Kensington & Chelsea 35 30 25 
			 Lambeth 30 25 105 
			 Lewisham 75 30 15 
			 Southwark 50 30 20 
			 Tower Hamlets 10 30 20 
			 Wandsworth 5 - - 
			 Westminster 40 30 40 
			 Outer London 630 700 770 
			 Barking & Dagenham 20 40 40 
			 Barnet 15 45 20 
			 Bexley - 20 15 
			 Brent 20 35 30 
			 Bromley 5 10 15 
			 Croydon 145 170 240 
			 Ealing - 30 35 
			 Enfield 5 0 0 
			 Haringey 55 90 55 
			 Harrow. 5 10 25 
			 Havering - - - 
			 Hillingdon 145 115 195 
			 Hounslow 15 55 45 
			 Kingston upon Thames 60 30 25 
			 Merton 15 - - 
			 Newham 45 20 10 
			 Redbridge 15 20 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames - - 0 
			 Sutton 0 0 - 
			 Waltham Forest 50 10 15 
			 South-east 310 380 470 
			 Shire Counties
			 Buckinghamshire - - - 
			 East Sussex - - - 
			 Hampshire - 15 15 
			 Kent 160 215 270 
			 Oxfordshire 30 40 40 
			 Surrey 5 30 35 
			 West Sussex 75 40 50 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Bracknell Forest 0 - 0 
			 Brighton & Hove - - 20 
			 Isle of Wight 0 0 0 
			 Medway Towns 0 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes 0 0 0 
			 Portsmouth 0  0 
			 Reading 5 5 10 
			 Slough 10 10 10 
			 Southampton - - 0 
			 West Berkshire 10 20 10 
			 Windsor & Maidenhead 0 - - 
			 Wokingham 0 0  
			 South-west 20 30 20 
			 Shire counties
			 Cornwall 0 0 0 
			 Devon 0 - 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire - 0 - 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 Somerset - 0 0 
			 Wiltshire - - - 
			 Unitary authorities
			 Bath & North-east Somerset 0 0 0 
			 Bournemouth - 0 0 
			 Bristol - - - 
			 North Somerset - - - 
			 Plymouth 5 5 - 
			 Poole 0 0 - 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 0 
			 Swindon 0 20 10 
			 Torbay 0 0 0 
			 1Source: DfES, SSDA903 return which since 2004 covered all children looked after by local authorities. 
			 2 To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, numbers at local authority level have been rounded to the nearest five, except numbers from one to five inclusive, which have been suppressed and replaced by a hyphen "-". At national level, numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Data on the numbers of asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and age disputed cases from non-suspensive appeals countries can be found in the attached tables. Data on the grounds upon which individual age disputed cases were deemed to be over 18 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications and others relating to immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			 UASC Applications from Non-suspensive Appeals Countries: Q3 2006 1 
			 Nationality Number of UASC Applications 
			 Albania 10 
			 Bulgaria - 
			 Jamaica * 
			 Macedonia - 
			 Moldova * 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 5 
			 Romania 5 
			 Bolivia - 
			 Brazil - 
			 Ecuador - 
			 South Africa * 
			 Sri Lanka 10 
			 Ukraine - 
			 India 10 
			 Ghana 2 * 
			 Nigeria 2 10 
			 Mongolia 5 
			 1 Provisional figures rounded to nearest five, with "*" = one or two. 
			 2 Includes figures for females who are not non-suspensive appeals (NSA) cases because NSA applies only to males from these countries. 
		
	
	
		
			 Age Disputed Applications from Non-suspensive Appeals Countries: Q3 2006 1 2 3 
			 Nationality Number of Age Disputed Applications 
			 Albania 5 
			 Bulgaria - 
			 Jamaica - 
			 Macedonia - 
			 Moldova - 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 5 
			 Romania * 
			 Bolivia - 
			 Brazil - 
			 Ecuador - 
			 South Africa - 
			 Sri Lanka 5 
			 Ukraine - 
			 India 5 
			 Ghana 4 * 
			 Nigeria 4 10 
			 Mongolia - 
			 1 Provisional figures rounded to nearest five, with "*" = one or two. 
			 2 When an asylum applicant claims to be a minor but his/her physical appearance strongly suggests that he/she is over 18, IND's policy is to treat the applicant as an adult until there is credible documentary or other persuasive evidence to demonstrate the age claimed. 
			 3 Includes cases for which age disputed at time of application. 
			 4 Includes figures for females who are not non-suspensive appeals (NSA) cases because NSA applies only to males from these countries.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Immigration Act powers to detain are not time limited. However, domestic and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case law provides that detention must last for no longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is authorised and must not be of excessive duration.
	Under the terms of Rule 34 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 (No. 238) Immigration Service removal centres must ensure that arrangements are in place for detainees to have a physical and mental examination by the medical practitioner within24 hours of their arrival. The purpose of this is to identify any immediate and significant mental or physical health needs. Rule 35(5) requires medical practitioners to pay particular attention to any detainee whose mental condition appears to require it and to make arrangements for their care.

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why no immediate official comment was made by members of the Cabinet on the circumstances surrounding the execution of the former President of Iraq.

Lord Triesman: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made a Statement immediately after the execution of Saddam Hussein on 30 December 2006. Unofficial footage was published the following day that revealed the unacceptable behaviour of some of the people present. My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister commented on 2 January 2007. Officials from our embassy in Baghdad repeated concerns to Iraqi officials at the highest level and stressed that further executions be carried out with appropriate sensitivity and security.

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the invitation to local authorities to submit proposals for unitary status, published on 26 October, is according to the system and within the framework and constraints set out in Part I of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill.

Baroness Andrews: Chapter 1 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill provides the procedure by which the Secretary of State may invite proposals for a single-tier of local government from district and county councils in England. The invitation that was issued on 26 October is in accordance with the provisions of the Bill.

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the timescale for the invitation to local authorities to submit proposals for unitary status, published on 26 October with a deadline of25 January 2007, gives sufficient time for the development of proposals; and whether they will consider an extension of this deadline if requested in particular cases.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There is no formal accreditation or approved list for abnormal load escort companies.
	Abnormal load escorts operate on motorways and other roads under a voluntary code of practice published by the Highways Agency and supportedby the police and the principal haulage industry associations. The code is a statement of best practice designed to ensure that those escorting abnormal loads do so in a manner that maximises safety. A copy has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Lord Adonis: The latest available figures on participation in higher education show participation rates by the local area in which the student was resident prior to entering higher education. The figures were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2005 in Young Participation in England, which is available from their website at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/.
	This report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19, disaggregated by local authority, for the years 1997 to 2000. The figures for Manchester local authority, and the comparable figure for England, are shown in the table. HEFCE has not produced participation rates beyond 2000.
	
		
			 Young participation rate (YPR (A)) in Higher Education (1) for year cohort aged 18. 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
			 Cohort for Manchester (2) 5,150 5,020 5,200 5,190 
			 Young Participation Rate (A) for Manchester (3) 17 per cent 18 per cent 19 per cent 19 per cent 
			 Young Participation Rate (A) for England 29.2 per cent 28.8 per cent 29.2 per cent 29.9 per cent 
			 Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England(1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions and other UK institutions—for example, further education colleges(2) Cohorts are reported to the nearest 10(3) Young participation rates for constituencies are reported to the nearest per cent. 
		
	
	The total numbers of undergraduate entrants to UK higher education institutions from Manchester local authority for each year since 2001-02 are given in the table:
	
		
			 Entrants to undergraduate courses (1) from Manchester Local Authority 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 Aged 18 680 705 740 795 870 
			 Aged 19 490 505 515 615 600 
			 Other Ages (2) 2,415 2,715 3,360 3,065 3,380 
			 Total Entrants 3,580 3,925 4,615 4,470 4,850 
			 Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Note: Figures are based on the HESA standard registration population for entrants and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. (1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions only. Students studying higher education courses elsewhere such as further education colleges are excluded. (2) Includes a very small number of students with unknown ages or ages under 18. 
		
	
	The department uses the higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18 to 30 in higher education towards 50 per cent: the latest provisional figure for 2004-05 is 42 per cent. The HEIPR is not calculated at local authority level.

Lord Trefgarne: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the level of skill required for preparing adequate school meals; what training is provided for this purpose; and what is the relevant Sector Skills Council.

Lord Adonis: The level of skill required varies depending on the role of the individual. A competent member of staff who could cook, prepare and finish meals from scratch, which meet the new school food standards, would be working at level 2 of the qualifications framework, and would be a competent cook able to work with a high degree of autonomy. A head chef or someone with supervisory responsibilities would be working at level 3 of the framework, and be able to manage staff and resources and have significant operational responsibilities for work in kitchens.
	Training is currently provided in a number of ways. Local authorities and contract caterers provide significant amounts of in-house training. In addition, there are a number of colleges and private training providers who offer courses leading to nationally recognised qualifications such as the certificate in providing healthier school meals, the support workers in schools qualification and national vocational qualifications in professional cookery and food processing and cookery. The department will also be investing £2 million in 2007-08 in the establishment of a network of regional training centres for school catering staff to act as centres of excellence. The department has asked the School Food Trust to take the lead on developing this proposal. Further work is currently under way, including looking at how this network will fit into existing provision in schools and colleges, and by private providers.
	The relevant Sector Sills Council for catering skills is People 1st.